Washington County, Maine
Washington County is a county located in the U.S. state of Maine. As of the 2010 census, its population was 32,856. Its county seat is Machias. It is sometimes referred to as "Sunrise County" because it is the easternmost county in the continental United States, and claims have been made that Washington County is where the sun first rises on the 48 contiguous states. Many small seaside communities have small-scale fishing-based economies. Tourism is also important along the county's shoreline, but it is not as important as elsewhere in the state. The blueberry crop plays a major role in the county's economy; nearly 85% of the world's supply of wild blueberries comes from Washington County.Machias Maine Wild Blueberry Festival Machias Chamber of Commerce Washington County was established on June 25, 1789. It borders the Canadian province of New Brunswick. Geography According to the 2000 census, the county has a total area of , of which (or 78.91%) is land and (or 21.09%) is water. Adjacent counties/provinces *Hancock County, Maine - southwest *Aroostook County, Maine - northwest *Penobscot County, Maine - northwest *York County, New Brunswick, Canada - northeast *Charlotte County, New Brunswick, Canada - east National protected areas * Cross Island National Wildlife Refuge * Moosehorn National Wildlife Refuge * Petit Manan National Wildlife Refuge * Saint Croix Island International Historic Site Major highways * * * * * * Demographics 2012 Estimate }} As of the census of 2000, there were 33,941 people, 14,118 households, and 9,303 families residing in the county. The population density was 13 people per square mile (5/km²). There were 21,919 housing units at an average density of 8 per square mile (3/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 93.48% White, 0.26% Black or African American, 4.43% Native American, 0.30% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.44% from other races, and 1.07% from two or more races. 0.81% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. The largest ancestry groups in Washington County according to Census 2000 are: * 32.5% English * 14.1% Irish * 10.8% American * 7.4% French * 5% Scottish 95.0% spoke English, 1.9% Passamaquoddy, 1.0% Spanish and 1.0% French as their first language. There were 14,118 households out of which 28.00% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.10% were married couples living together, 9.50% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.10% were non-families. 28.30% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.10% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.34 and the average family size was 2.84. In the county the population was spread out with 22.90% under the age of 18, 8.00% from 18 to 24, 26.30% from 25 to 44, 25.60% from 45 to 64, and 17.30% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 95.50 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.90 males. The median income for a household in the county was $25,869, and the median income for a family was $31,657. Males had a median income of $28,347 versus $20,074 for females. The per capita income for the county was $14,119. About 14.20% of families and 19.00% of the population were below the poverty line, including 22.40% of those under age 18 and 19.20% of those age 65 or over. Politics Washington County is considered a swing county in Maine. In 2004 it was one of only two counties (the other being Piscataquis County) in Maine to vote for Republican George W. Bush over Democrat John Kerry. Bush won 49.79% to Kerry's 48.47%. In 2008, Democrat Barack Obama narrowly defeated John McCain, 49.51% to 48.50%, and again in 2012 defeated Mitt Romney, 49.27% to 47.68%. In the 2012 Maine Republican Presidential Caucuses, the majority of Washington County voters cast their votes for Republican Ron Paul, but votes from Washington County were not counted because of snow. Mitt Romney ultimately won the state by a narrow margin. Voter registration Cities and towns *Addison *Alexander *Baileyville (Woodland) *Baring Plantation *Beals *Beddington *Calais *Centerville (disincorporated) *Charlotte *Cherryfield *Codyville Plantation *Columbia *Columbia Falls *Cooper *Crawford *Cutler *Danforth *Deblois *Dennysville *East Machias *Eastport *Grand Lake Stream *Harrington *Indian Township *Jonesboro *Jonesport *Lubec *Machias *Machiasport *Marshfield *Meddybemps *Milbridge *Northfield *Pembroke *Perry *Pleasant Point *Princeton *Robbinston *Roque Bluffs *Steuben *Talmadge *Topsfield *Vanceboro *Waite *Wesley *Whiting *Whitneyville Territories *North Washington *East Central Washington Indian reservations *Passamaquoddy Pleasant Point Reservation *Passamaquoddy Indian Township Reservation See also *National Register of Historic Places listings in Washington County, Maine References External links * Washington County official website Category:Counties of Maine Category:Washington County, Maine Category:Established in 1789 Category:Former counties in Massachusetts